The present invention relates generally to telephonic communications and deals more specifically with communication on the public telephone network wherein a user via a remote, portable, wireless terminal unit establishes a two-way optical communication path with a coin operated telephone instrument and the like equipped with the station unit of the invention.
Telephonic communication via the public telephone network has grown substantially over the past few years as the numbers of the traveling public become larger and as more and more people become reliant on the ability to communicate with others to gain their livelihood, such as, for example, salesmen and the like. Such communication is generally accomplished utilizing the so-called pay or coin operated telephone instrument and includes credit card and the like type operated telephone instruments. In order to meet the increased demand for access to the public telephone network, the so-called cellular type telephone service was introduced wherein a user is assigned a dedicated telephone number and may originate and receive telephone calls by means of a cellular type telephone instrument cooperating with a mobile radio receiver. Although cellular type telephone service permits a user to place and receive a call from any location within a cellular area from his own cellular telephone, cellular telephone instruments and cellular telephone service are relatively expensive and in some instances not available in all geographic locations. Accordingly, the majority of telephone callers still access the public telephone network via conventional coin-operated, credit card and the like type telephone instruments.
There are a number of disadvantages associated with the so-called "public pay phone" among which disadvantages are concerns about the spread of viral infectious diseases, bacteria and other contaminates that may be present on the public pay telephone handset/receiver.
Another disadvantage associated with public pay telephones, particularly those located in an outdoor or unprotected environment, is a user must necessarily be exposed to the effects of inclement weather, lack of privacy, etc., when placing a call from such a located pay telephone.
Yet a further disadvantage associated with pubic pay telephones, especially in areas of high usage such as airport, bus and train terminals, is the valuable wall and floor space that is occupied by the large number of public pay telephones that are generally present to accommodate the traveling public.
It is desirable therefore, to provide a telephonic device that is portable and personal to a user and which permits access to the pubic telephone network while overcoming the above disadvantages and accordingly, it is the general object of the present invention to provide such a device.